What happened
On May 22, 2017, an Airbus AS350 B2 helicopter, registration N207CH, crashed into snow-covered, featureless terrain near the Herbert Glacier, approximately 21 miles north of Juneau, Alaska. The aircraft, operated by Coastal Helicopters, Inc., was performing a Part 145 on-demand air taxi flight to transport passengers from a remote dog camp back to Juneau International Airport (JNU).
Prior to the accident, another company helicopter had already returned to JNU due to deteriorating weather. The pilot of N207CH departed the glacier after picking up five passengers and one musher. During the flight, the pilot encountered an area of fog along the intended route. In an attempt to return to the dog camp and wait for better conditions, the pilot turned the aircraft toward a rocky area to maintain visual contact with the ground. During this maneuver, the helicopter struck the terrain and came to rest inverted.
There were 4 minor injuries among the passengers and crew, and 0 fatalities. One passenger was trapped by a 3-point restraint system after the impact, requiring the pilot to use a multi-tool to cut the belt material to allow egress.
Findings
At the time of the accident, the pilot encountered deteriorating visibility and flat light conditions. While the reported weather conditions were within the company's specified minimums for the pilot's experience level, the terrain was obscured by fog and whiteout-like conditions, making it difficult to distinguish the sky from the ground. The pilot's decision to turn the aircraft while visual references were lost led to the impact.